Envelope-feeding mechanism



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c. L. POST ENVELOPE FEEDING MECHANISM Filed Aug. 31, .1921 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 July 3, 1923. 1,460,603

c. L. POST ENVELOPE FEEDING MECHANISM Filed Aug. 51. 1921 4 sheets-sheiet 2 $37 655 65, V efzwzzW fwlzged I July 3, 1923. 1,460,603

C. L. POST 4 ENVELOPE FEEDING MECHANISM Filed 51, 1921 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 July 3, 1923.

C. .L. POST ENVELOPE FEEDING MECHANISM Filed Aug.

4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Patented July 3,1923.

cnaiunn L. rest, or damage, rumors.

ENVELOPE-FEEDING mncnamsm;

-Applioation m August 31, 1921. Serial no. 497,220.

I To all'whomitmwyconcemi- I nism, of which the follow Be it known that I, CLAUDE L. Pos'r, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago,

rolls.

Another object of my invention is to provide a feeding means as above described which may be detachably secured to the printing frame, so that easy access may be ad to the printing frame for the purpose of cleanin repair etc.

Anotherghbject o f i ny invention is to provide jo ging means, whereby the envelopes at the ottom of the pack in the envelope ma azine may be correctly aligned for the fee ing operation.

Another object of my invention isto provide feeding means which shall ,beadjustable to handle envelopes ofvarious sizes.

The invention has among its other objects the production of a device of the kind described which is simple, convenient, durable,

a be

.and more apphed to aprinting frame;

reliable, eflicient and satisfactory for use wherever found applicable. Many other objectsand advantages of the construction herein shown and described will be obvious to those skilled in the art from the disclosure herein glven.

To this end my invention consists in the novel construction, arrangement and combination of parts herein shown and de: Jribed, particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings, wherein like reference characters indicate like 01' corresponding P l i Fi 1 is a side elevation of my devlce as Fig. 2 is a section taken substantially on the hue 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fi 3 is a section taken substantially on .Fi 4 is a section taken substantially on the line 4-4 of F1g. 8;

d to said rolls having its Fig. 5 is a section taken substantially on the hue 5-5 of Fig. 8;

Fig. 6 is a section taken substantially on the line 6-6 ofFig. 8; I

Fig. 7 is a section taken substantially on the line 7-7 of Fig. 5-;

Fig. 8 is a section taken substantially on the line 8-8 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 9 is a section taken substantially on theline 99 of Fig.8;

F1- 10 is a section taken substantially on the hue 10-10 of Fig. 9; and

Fig. 11 is a section taken substantially on I I the line 11-11 of Fig. 8.

In the drawings, wherein I have shown the preferred embodiment of my invention, 1 indicates the side'frames of a printing press or the like, which are cut away or shouldered,.as at 2, to provide a recess for receiving the detachably removable envelope feedin mechanism. 3 and 4 indicate printing r0 is adapted to receive envelopes therebetween and to discharge said envelopes in any'suitable manner after they have been printed, said printing rolls having cooperating inkin rollers 5 in operative contact therewith. it printing rolls 3' and 4'respectively, are in mesh with each other so as to drive the rolls 3 and 4 synchronously, said gear 6 meshing with an idler gear 8, which in turn drives a gear 9 of the feeding mechanism, said gear 9 eing of the same size as gear 6,, so that the feeding mechanism will drive at the same speed as the printing rolls, said ar 9 havmg a cam projection 10 on the ace thereof for a purpose to be hereinafter described.

The magazine for the envelopes comprises a base or bottom plate '11 and an end wall 12, there being side walls 13 adjustably positioned thereon so that the magazine may receive any size of envelopes therein. Angle irons 14 are provided at the base of said side walls 13, said angle irons having elon-- gated slots 15 therein adapted to receive ears 6 and 7 at the ends of the Y fastening means 16 therethrough, whereby said side walls may be adjustably positionedon the bottom plate 11. For the pur ose of adjusting the magazine to accommo ate the various widths of'envelopes, I have provided adjustable wall members 17 as shown in Figs. 2, 3 and 5, said wall members 17 being slidably mounted on the side walls 13, as shown, said side walls havin aligned elongated slots 18 therein, each a apted to receive a threaded extension 19 therethrough, u on which a nut 20, or any other equivalent means for the purpose may be threaded. Thus it is seen that my magazine or envelope receptacle ma be adjusted for various len hs of enve opes by means of the adjustable sides 13, and for various widths of envelopes by the adjustable wall mem-' for receiving the envelope flap, so that the envelopes may pass outwardlg from said magazine thru said opening. lates of various sizes are adapted to be detachably secured to the bottom plate 11 by screws 26 or the like, said plates having their inner ed es cut away as at 27 to form re-' cesses or the envelope flaps, each plate 25 having a slot 28 therein transversely of and communicating with the opening 27, said slot 28 being adapted to receive a flap-enaging finger 29, as will be hereinafter more ully described.

The finger 29, which is rotatably driven, is upturned, and is carried by a plate 30, there being a down-turned follower portion 31 integral with said late and adapted to enga e the fiaps a er their engagement by the nger 29. v

The member 30 is secured to a collar 32 or the like, which is mounted on a shaft 33. The collar32 has an annular flange 34 formed thereon, said flange having a deression or cam groove 35 thereon, there ein a roller 36 mounted on a bracket 37, so that the roller will engage along the flange 34 and in the cam groove 35 to control the raising and lowering of said collar and the plate 30 carried thereby, said collar bein shdably but non-rotatably mounted on t e shaft by means of a key 38.

A bevel gear 39 is keyed to the shaft 33, said gear meshing with a bevel gear 40 driven from the drive gear 9 through a shaft 41'-42, there being a clutch 43 for detachably or removably connecting said drive shafts 41 and 42; The clutch 43 comprises clutch members 44 provided at the meetin ends of said shafts 41 and 42', one of sai clutch members having pins45. projecting thereon and adapted to engage in cooperating recesses in the other clutch memher, said pins 45 being-spaced apart a distance greater or less than one hundred and eighty degrees, so that there can be. no wrong connection between the feeding mechanism and the printing rolls to throw the cooperating drive mechanisms out of synchronism.

A spring 46 is interposed between the collar 32 and the ear 39,.tending to constantly urge the co ar 32 and the plate 30 carried thereby upwardly so as to engage in the slot 28, the roller 36 preventing such upward movement except when it intermittently engages in the cam groove 35.

In order to provide a greater leverage for driving the finger, I have formed a recess 47 in the flange 34 of the collar, which is adapted to slidably receive a pin 48 carried by the gear 39, the pin 48 having. its axis parallel to the axis of the shaft 33, but at a distance beyond the periphery of the gear 39, thus increasing the leverage from said drive shaft 33.

Arms 49 are suitably. secured to the bottom plate 11, said arms being adapted to engage in suitable recesses in the cut-away portion 2 of the frame 1 to hold the feedmg mechanism against accidental displacement relative to the frame.

In operation, the gears (Sand 9 are driven at the same speed through the idler 8, said gear 9 driving the plate 30 carrying the upturned finger 29 and the downturned fo lower flange 31. The finger 29 is normally kept out of engagement with the under side of the plate 11 by the cam roller 36, but when the cam groove on the collar 32 comes under the roller 36, the collar is permitted to rise and the finger 29 slides into and along.

the slot 28, as shown in Figs. 5 and 7, so as to engage between the flap and the body of the bottom envelope in the magazine. Further rotational movement of the plate 30 will cause the finger 29 to slide between the flap and body of the envelope lengthwise of the flap until the follower portion 31 engages said envelope also between the flap and body, and as the follower portion is formed on a radius larger than that traversed by the finger 29, it bends the flap along its line of fold and extends it outwardly in the direction of the rolls 3 and 4, said rolls having flap-engaging portions thereon which are operated in synchronism with the feeding means to receive said extended flap and feed the envelope therethrough.

In order to make sure that the bottom envelope is in correct alignment with the feeding rolls, I have provided jogging means 50 and 51, said jogging means 50 being adjustable and adapted to engage one side edge of the successive bottom envelopes, and the jogger 51 being adapted to engage the bottom edge of the envelopes, said joggers moving the bottom envelopes against the front and a side wall of the magazine. The jogger 50 is slidable in a guide 52 on the plate 11 and has a down-turned end 53 which is adapted to be engaged by the cam projection 10 on the gear 9 at intermittent intervals, there being a spring 54 to return or actuate the jogger after it has been moved out by the projection 10, the return return thereof after its release frpm the plate 30. Both said joggers are so timed as to jog the bottom envelopes substantially as the finger 29 leaves the slot 28 and enters between the flap and body of the bottom enaving thus described my 1nvent1on, 1t is obvious that various immaterial mod1fications may be made in the same without departing from the spirit of my mventlon; hence I do not wish to be understood as 1 1miting myself to the exact form, construction, arrangement and combination of partsherein shown and described, or uses mentioned.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: p 1. In an envelope handling dev1ce of the kind described and in combination, an envelope magazine, printing rolls, means for turning the flaps of successive envelopes on their line of fold and extending-them in the direction of said rolls(,1 and 111188118 for intermittentl 'o 'n sai enve opes 2. In iiri e n v eli ipe handling device of the kind described andin combination, an em velope magazine, printing rolls, means for turning the flaps of successive envelopes on the line of fold thereof and extending them in the direction of said printing rolls, and means acting in unison therewith for jogging the successive bottom envelopes in said magazine at a plurality of side edges of the envelopes.

3. In an envelope handling device and in combination, an envelope magazine, printing rolls, means for turning the flaps of successive envelopes on the line of fold thereof and extending them in the direction of said printing rolls, means for jogging said successive bottom envelopes in the magazine and driving means for intermittently actuating said flap turning and jogging means in unison.

4. In an envelope handling device of the kind described and in combination, an envelope magazine, printing rolls, means for turning the flaps of successive envelopes on the line of fold thereof and extending them in the direction of said printing rolls, means for jogging said successive bottom envelopes in the magazine, substantially when their flaps are extended toward said printing rolls, and drive means for intermittently actuating all of said means in unison.

5. In an envelope handling device of the kind described and in combination, a rintin frame, an envelope magazine, printing ro ls, and means for bendin the flaps of successive envelopes on their line of fold and extending them toward said rolls in advance of the body of the envelope, said magazine and said means being detachably se- I cured to said printing frame. 7

6. In an envelopehandling device of the kind describedand in combination, a printframe, an envelope magazine, rinting sive envelopes on their line of fold and extending them toward said rolls in advance in rofis, means for bending the flaps-o succes-- of the body! of the envelope, drive means i for operating said bending means in synchronism with said printing means, said magazine and said bending and drivin neans being detachably secured to sai rame.

7. In an envelope handling device of the kind described, a printing frame, printing of the envelope, means for detachably oper-' a'bly connegtmg said means to the drive mechanism of said'rol-ls, and means for detachably connecting said magazine bending means and drive to said frame.

8. In a device of the kind described, and in combination, printing rolls, an envelo magazine, a finger for separating the ad acent opposed faces of the flaps and the bodies of successive envelopes, and follower means for turnin said flaps on their line of fold, and extending them forwardly in advance of the body of the'envelope toward said rolls, and means for actuating said finger and follower means.

9. .In a device of the kind described and in combination, an envelope magazine, printing rolls, a finger adapted to enter successlve envelopes between their flaps and bodies to separate them, follower means to bend said flaps to open and extend them on their line of fold, said follower means being movable along the under surface of said flaps from one side to theother thereof, and means for operatin said finger and follower means.

10. In a evice of the'kind described and in combination an envelope magazine, a pair of printing rolls, a finger insertable between the flaps and bodies of successive envelopes, said finger being movable along said flaps, follower means integral with said finger and movable to engage along the under surface of said flaps from one side to the other thereof; to turn said flaps and open them on their line of fold, and means for actuating said finger and follower.

11. In a device of the kind described and in combination, printing rolls, an envelo magazine, a rotary finger for separating t 6 adjacent opposed faces of the closed flaps and 'bodies of successive envelopes, a rotary follower means engageable between said flaps and bodies to turn said flaps and open 1 them on their line of fold, and means for rotating said finger and follower,

. 12. In a device of the kind described, and

in combination, a pair of printing rolls, an envelope magazine, a rotary finger en ageable between the closed flap and body! 0 successive envelopes, follower means integral with said finger and engageable between said flaps, and means to turn said flaps on their line of fold and open them toward said printing rolls, said rotary follower being spaced at a greater distance from the rotational axis than said fin er, and means for driving said fin er and ollower.

13. In a device 0 thekind described and in combination, an envelope magazine having a slot in the bottom thereof transversely of the flaps of said envelopes, a finger movable along said slot, means for intermittently raising said finger and enter said slot and engage the flaps of successive envelopes, and means for actuating said intermittently operating means.

14. In a device of the kind described and in combination, an envelope magazine having a slot in the bottom thereof transversely of the flaps of said envelopes, an upturned memos finger movable under said slot, means for intermittently raisin said upturned finger and enter said slot an engage the flaps of successive envelopes, follower means integral with said finger and extending said flaps, and means for actuating said intermittently operatin means.

15. n a device of the kind described and in combination, a printing frame, an envelope magazine adapted to be detachably mounted thereon, and means for intermittently bending the flaps of successive envelopes on their line of fold and extending them from the body of said envelo es, means for adjusting the length and widt of said magazine, and means operable in said magazine to bear on the stack of envelopes thereinto hold them against the bottom of said magazlne.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of tWo subscribing witnesses.

CLAUDE L. POST.

Witnesses:

JoHN W. HILL, RUTH M. Ernnmm. 

